1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of an ashtray for automobiles, and more particularly to a structure of an ashtray for automobiles in a slide-type fashion of a main body sliding into and out of a housing, in which there is no clearance between guide rails on the main body and guide grooves of the housing during the sliding motion of the guide rails along the guide grooves, thus preventing vertical and horizontal fluctuations of the main body when the body is drawn into and out of the housing, improving the comfort of use.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an audio component and an air conditioning apparatus are installed at an upper portion of an instrument panel located in the front area within an automobile, and a collection box and ashtray are installed at a lower portion of the instrument panel.
Particularly, the ashtray installed for smoker's convenience generally has a slide-type structure. The ashtray having the slide-type structure is simple and hermetically sealed to some degree, thus reducing the spread of smell caused by cigarette butts.
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional slide-type ashtray for automobiles comprises a housing 1 fixedly installed within an opening of the instrument panel, and a main body 20 accommodated by the housing 1 so that the main body 20 horizontally sides into and out of the housing 1 through an opening formed through a front surface of the housing 1.
In order to achieve the sliding motion of the main body 20 into and out of the housing 1, guide members 10 provided with guide grooves 12 are installed at both sides of the housing 1 in a longitudinal direction, and guide rails 22, which are inserted into the guide grooves 12 of the guide members 10, protrude from both sides of the main body 20.
Accordingly, when the main body 20 is pulled out of the housing 1 by an external force, the guide rails 22 of the main body 20 are slid forward along the guide grooves 12 of the guide members 10 of the housing 1 so that the main body 20 is drawn out of the housing 1. On the other hand, when the main body 20 is pushed into the housing 1 by an external force, the guide rails 22 of the main body 20 are slid backward along the guide grooves 12 of the guide members 10 of the housing 1 so that the main body 20 is drawn into the housing. Here, in order to smoothly slide the guide rails 22 of the main body 20 along the guide grooves 12 of the housing 1, the guide rails 22 must have a width smaller than that of the guide grooves 12.
In case the guide rails 22 have the same width as that of the guide grooves 12, the guide rails come into contact with the guide grooves 12, thereby increasing the frictional force between and being incapable of achieving a smooth slide motion along the guide grooves 12.
Accordingly, in the conventional slide-type ashtray for automobiles, there is generated a clearance having a designated distance between the guide rails 22 and the guide grooves 12. Thus, when the main body 20 is drawn into and out of the housing 1, the main body 20 is horizontally and vertically moved, thereby causing a problem of a low stability.